JerseyG1960 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 I’ve been contemplating my first “real” woodworking bench for a while now and thought this might be useful to others in my shoes. I’ve read most everything I could online, including the build vs. purchase debates. As a novice, I decided to get myself making sawdust in the shop by spending no more than five hundred dollars or so on either a bench or parts for one I’d build myself, and then perhaps building an even better one one that suited my needs down the road after some years of experience, unless I find my first bench proves up to the job. As my travels were going to take me close to Grizzly’s Muncy, PA. showroom yesterday, I decided to check out their benches in person. If none of them got me excited I’d pick up one of their benchtops and build one myself. The choice proved easy. I ended up purchasing one of their 60” Super Heavy-Duty benches, for $475. The biggest complaint I’ve read of less expensive benches was their lack of weight and stability (and I am leaning towards the Neanderthal route with my work, so I wanted a heavy bench). This thing’s a beast. I could barely budge it on the showroom floor. The top is 3” thick birch across the entire surface and the frame (also birch) is made up of 4” x 4” legs and 2” x 6” rails. These are actual dimensions, not nominal. It’s more than heavy enough as it is, and I plan on building drawers to mount underneath for my hand tools as soon as I can. The frame members are made of laminated strips rather than solid wood, but I wasn’t going to nitpick that detail at this price. There are no dog holes in either the top or on the vise face but that’s easy enough to take care of on my own. The single end vise seems OK enough quality. I would have preferred it mounted flush with the corner rather than in the middle of the bench end. I am happy with the lack of a front vise. This will give me the opportunity to add one more to my liking than what might have otherwise come with the bench. I am even considering one of Lie-Nielsen’s clamp-on dovetail vices. Not cheap, but I will still be under $1000 total. So I’m happy and off to a start. I’ll post more if I discover any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 Great purchase and I hope you have years of success with it. I went years using the top of my ts as a bench and could kick myself for not getting a real bench sooner! Oh, and welcome to the Forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 I have a 5' HF bench, but I only have 12' of space. When I do build a new shop/garden storage. I'm buying a bench, just like you did. I'd rather spend my time building furniture, than building shop tools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 I have a 5' HF bench, but I only have 12' of space. When I do build a new shop/garden storage. I'm buying a bench, just like you did. I'd rather spend my time building furniture, than building shop tools! I don't disagree with that statement but, your bench is a little different than most shop furniture. Hopefully, it's something you hand down to many generations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDave Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 Great job on getting the bench you want... I have looked at the Grizzly bench online and have been tempted. Currently using a hollow-core door on top of some mdf supported by 2x4s and no vises... so I am definitely in the "I need a bench" camp. For me building is my likely route if I can get some help during the process... If you're reading this TomC that was directed at you I have the plans for the Roubo bench from Marc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 Great job on getting the bench you want... I have looked at the Grizzly bench online and have been tempted. Currently using a hollow-core door on top of some mdf supported by 2x4s and no vises... so I am definitely in the "I need a bench" camp. For me building is my likely route if I can get some help during the process... If you're reading this TomC that was directed at you I have the plans for the Roubo bench from Marc. I'm more than happy to help you with the build. I'm planning on building the Roubo as well. I ordered the plans from BenchCrafted the other night. I think the thing I'm most excited about with building it is the hand cut dovetails on the end. I also spoke to the guy at Dunlap woodcrafts about getting 350-400 BF of hard straight grain maple. He said for that amount of wood I'll give you a good price. So let's see what he comes back with in terms of cost for the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 Damn...can I move to Northern VA and build a Roubo too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 Damn...can I move to Northern VA and build a Roubo too? We could save even more on the lumber! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDave Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 The more the merrier. Thanks Tom for willingness to help...I will need.it. O.P. sorry for the hijack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I think the thing I'm most excited about with building it is the hand cut dovetails on the end. Well if you follow the Guild series or Jameel's technique...they're not hand cut. But you're the man if you do it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I thought these were handcut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Probably cut on the band saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySats Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I'm more than happy to help you with the build. I'm planning on building the Roubo as well. I ordered the plans from BenchCrafted the other night. I think the thing I'm most excited about with building it is the hand cut dovetails on the end. I also spoke to the guy at Dunlap woodcrafts about getting 350-400 BF of hard straight grain maple. He said for that amount of wood I'll give you a good price. So let's see what he comes back with in terms of cost for the wood. Tom You need aboud 200 bf for the Roubo . Report back when that fella quotes you a price , I think woodcraft will be high even if you buy 350 - 400 bf . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Tom You need aboud 200 bf for the Roubo . Report back when that fella quotes you a price , I think woodcraft will be high even if you buy 350 - 400 bf . Dunlap woodcraft isn't actually woodcraft it's a hardwood dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I just got a call from a guy I had contacted regarding 8/4 maple. He owns a tree cutting/pruning business. They have a mill that will process slabs up to 48" wide. All wood is stickered and air dried. He said he's got over 700 maple slabs he's looking to get rid of that are at 10% moisture and can cut the wood to whatever width is requested. He's gonna get back to me on a quote for it. He's also got 70 walnut trees up to 40" diameter that he's gonna be cutting into slabs, as well as some cherry. If the wood is nice, I may have found a new friend. They also build furniture like conference room tables and such using these monstrous slabs. He said he's not trying to be a lumber yard or hardwood dealer, but to offer these trees a second life to come back as beautiful pieces of art. Sounds all noble and such. Hard Maple vs "soft" maple. How much of a real difference would you say there is, as most maple is silver, big leaf, etc and isn't legit hard maple (Acer saccharum) when it comes to its use as a workbench? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDave Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Wow! Keep me posted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I too have a local saw mill that I get material at from time to time.. A great find indeed! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I find a lot of places that aren't hardwood dealers are the ones who have the most unique pieces and usually the best prices. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySats Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Soft maple would be more then enough from a bench , you don't want something so hard that it may dent your work . Plus the hard maple is harder on cutting tools and its much heavier . Just a thought . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Soft maple would be more then enough from a bench , you don't want something so hard that it may dent your work . Plus the hard maple is harder on cutting tools and its much heavier . Just a thought . I thought I read on here some people that used soft maple wish they used hard. I also plan on building a Benchcrafted Roubo this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I think the "hard maple will dent your work" mantra is some kind of Kool-Aid. I drank it and built mine out of soft maple. I've dropped bubinga on my bench, and guess what? They BOTH dented. It's the only minor regret I have about mine...the soft maple. If I could go back and do it again I'd go with hard. The soft dents very easily. So what, it's a bench...yeah...but it would be better if... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Need to start a "late to the party but ready to go 2015 Roubo inspired" thread. Add me to the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Yeah, soft maple is fine, so is hard maple. They're both pretty dang hard. I built mine from hard maple, had to sharpen my tools a lot while building it. The truth is, almost any wood that you have on hand will work for a bench, no need to overthink it, just build one and enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Per Marc's page on the Roubo build Personally, I like soft maple for this project. I feel it’s a nice compromise: not too hard and not too soft. My old bench was made from hard maple which served me well. But the more I thought about it and the more folks I discussed the issue with, I realized soft maple would probably be the better choice since it’s easier to plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 I just got a call from a guy I had contacted regarding 8/4 maple. He owns a tree cutting/pruning business. They have a mill that will process slabs up to 48" wide. All wood is stickered and air dried. He said he's got over 700 maple slabs he's looking to get rid of that are at 10% moisture and can cut the wood to whatever width is requested. He's gonna get back to me on a quote for it. He's also got 70 walnut trees up to 40" diameter that he's gonna be cutting into slabs, as well as some cherry. If the wood is nice, I may have found a new friend. They also build furniture like conference room tables and such using these monstrous slabs. He said he's not trying to be a lumber yard or hardwood dealer, but to offer these trees a second life to come back as beautiful pieces of art. Sounds all noble and such. Hard Maple vs "soft" maple. How much of a real difference would you say there is, as most maple is silver, big leaf, etc and isn't legit hard maple (Acer saccharum) when it comes to its use as a workbench? Good grief... take that man a case of beer and sit with him for an hour or two... build that relationship! Beer secures those relationships.. Go, Go... Is the workbench going to get abuse, or is it for pretty? Hard would be my choice, but sometimes, cost makes a difference. either will work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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